Description: Every year, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women meets at the UN Headquarters in New York, joined by government and civil society representatives from around the world. The priority theme of CSW62 is the challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls. The conference spans a host of discussion topics, such as, but not limited to, Human Security Training, Family Law, Meeting with Rural Speakers, and Data approaches for measuring progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Mahnaz Afkhami will speak on a panel titled, Human Rights Defenders: A Panel Discussion with Leading Female Activists. She will first address the Women’s Rights climate in Iran and then later discuss her work with 20 grassroots organizations for the past 25 years and the importance of a global women’s movement.